Freedom in the Air’s final day with carers from Spurgeons and Bedfordshire County Council Rural Communities Charity. In this slideshow, we get to hear from an instructor, senior carers and of course the bubbly and adventurous younger carers.
Young carers are children and young people who are the main carers of a sick or disabled parent or sibling. Estimates of the number of young carers in the UK vary between 15,000 and 50,000. Continue reading ‘Skywards: flying without wings’
I am now back from Kolkata, WOW what an adventure it has been. The week moved at 120kts and it is only now that my brain is starting to gently comprehend and try and understand my voyage of discovery about me, my roots, the city of kolkata and everything else since then. I visited The Rehabilitation Center for Children, which is where i spent many years having operations. I will upload some photos soon. The kids were great and all they wanted to know about is what it is like to fly – so i told them and i loved the expression on their faces….they gave me a wonderful shirt made by the children and this card…
Continue reading ‘Rehabilitation Center for Children; Kolkata’
One women in aviation who i deeply admire is called Suzi Duncan. She lives in Melbourne, Australia and is herself a pilot with lower limb disability. She is also a flying instructor and an inventor. She designed the Vision air hand control which helps pilots with lower limb disabilities to operate the rudder and ground steering of a PA28. We have become friends and she has helped me and mentors me with my flying. She helped set up Wheelies with Wings in Australia, visit their site…
Stan Brock started a charity – Remote Area Medical (RAM) – more than 20 years ago to bring relief to those cut off from healthcare. Originally it was to help poor tribes in the former British colony of Guyana, South America.
That is where he lived after leaving Preston, Lancashire, more than half a century ago – he still is a British citizen. The full article is on the BBC website – RAM website is here
Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks– including death itself–
Who is Mr. Shoe – Part 1
Who is Mr. Shoe – Part 2
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s personal message on Polio eradication January 2008
I was invited by Allan Jagger who is the current President of Rotary Great Britain and Ireland to be the Keynote speaker at their annual conference which was held in Blackpool during the weekend of April 11th-13th 2008. It was the first time I delivered a speech to a full capacity audience of a few thousand plus at Blackpool Winter Gardens main hall. I had the pleasure of meeting Rotary International President Mr Wilf Wilkinson who told me had looking forward to meeting for a few weeks since he heard that I would be speaking after him. My full speech can be viewed by following this link.
Continue reading ‘Rotary Conference: Freedom in the air – A polio survivor’s tale’
In this episode Polly speaks about how she first started to get involved with The Flying Scholarships for the disabled and her work for meaningful organizations. Each year scholarships are given to people with disabilities to learn to fly’ or better still ‘If you have a disability and would like to learn to fly – go to toreachforthesky.org.uk and apply’
In this episode, gautam explores how Polly achieved her record breaking challenges and what it feels like to be a solo pilot flying across the world. What it means to be an aviator and what aviation can do to rebuild ones confidence
the final chapter of this epic interview with a truly inspiring aviator and pioneer for aviation, Polly Vacher looks to the future, how Polly feels about what she has achieved and finally her top tip for pilots….Blue Skies Polly
I picked my friend up from Heathrow this morning. He returned after spending a few months in Nepal. During his travels, he met a photographer. My friend Paul explained to the photographer that I was a pilot and to his surprise he had taken this photograph of Gautam Budha Airport (my own name is Gautam)….a nice message from the photographer too which reads “Dear Gautam, maybe one day you will fly to the birthplace of your namesake”
cheeky me has edited the image to make me the Budha….zoom in to the face for a close up. I have to one day visit this airport..
We do have some amazingly talented and gifted friends. Artists, film directors, musicians, doctors, poets, monks, scientists who inspire us. Continue reading ‘The Grenade Art Collective’
A painting by Rosa Branson, one of London’s foremost painters, entitled Service above Self, was unveiled yesterday evening by Baroness Hayman, The Lord Speaker, in the River Room at The House of Lords, in front of an audience of politicians, business people and diplomats. Continue reading ‘Rosa Branson’s painting unveiled at House of Lords’
